In the context of senior classes I agree with a lot of what you say (except for curb cheating). Although the discussion is more to do with perception than reality and it’s clear that the karting business plays a dangerous game here, the perception of unequal engines, sells many more engines and short service intervals keeps workshops and parts departments busy. Unfortunately it also drives people away from the sport.
However real differences in engines becomes much more evident somewhere below between 15 & 20 HP. Above this the kart spends a good proportion of the lap on part throttle or on the brakes. But below this more and more of the lap is spent on full throttle and of course the lap is longer. Thus the differences get progressively bigger and bigger, which is why the problem is most acute in Cadets followed by Junior classes. In Cadets in is not unusual to be off the throttle in only 1 or 2 places on the track, thus the whole race can in effect be a serious of twisty drag races. Nobody would argue that in drag racing every HP makes a difference.
At the very extreme end of this, I've tested this extensively on engines with an average of only 5HP. Here a good consistent driver loses as much as 2 tenths of a second per 0.1 HP, thus at our test circuit 0,5HP equates to about a second (or a lifetime in competitive karting). You might understand why I've spent so much time on this problem when I tell you that I see so called sealed race engines in this class that vary between 3.8 & 5.6HP, yet they are constantly being described as equal. As a result of these inequalities I have spoken to two parents this week alone who are considering quitting. This is obviously an extreme example in a country that is nearing the end game in terms of the decline of karting, but it illustrates the problem and the need for proper solutions.
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